String Hand Alignment

It might be a good idea to try something different when working to improve your shooting accuracy. I hope this tip will help others as much as it has helped me.

In the past, I had trouble with my shots going left or right of the intended target. Everything I read stated that the back of the drawing hand should be kept flat and relaxed, and to let your hand act like a hook. I had a bad habit of cupping my hand, which threw off my shots, and made it difficult to have any kind of shooting consistency.

I use a tab and shoot split-fingered, but I am sure this will also work if you shoot with a glove. When placing my drawing hand on the string, I begin with the usual three fingers around the string below the arrow nock, but add my pinky which aligns my hand straight up and down on the string.

Just as I am putting tension on the string, I move the pinky finger off the string and tuck it back into the closed position with the thumb tip touching the pinky tip. This gives me perfect string hand alignment and lets the shoulder pull straight through with back tension. This method allows the arrow to fall right in under my eye, and everything just looks and feels great.

I am far from being an excellent shot, but this little exercise I do at the beginning of each shot has helped me tremendously.

Written for guys like me! I have been experiencing my arrows flying predominately to the right (I shoot left-handed) and have been searching for a solution. I have eliminated the arrows as the cause. I think it in my release, so this tip struck a cord. I will check into it. Thanks much.